Associations, non-profits, and other membership-based organizations primarily depend on volunteers for governance and operations. It seems like a cliche: to make an organization a successful organization, its members have to get actively involved. It IS a cliche if you do not take the words seriously. They are not "just words" if you truly believe. Organizations - whether businesses, non-profits, associations, educational, family-related or otherwise - run more efficiently and have greater chances of being successful (serving their purposes) if their people are spokes in the wheels that are the organizations.  

What do spokes do for wheels? Those thin pieces of metal (or wood) provide support and strength to wheels. Lighter-weight materials can be used in wheels that have spokes because the spokes distribute the weight exerted on wheels and help wheels keep their shape. Basically, the more spokes there are, the more support the wheels receive. Wheels perform their function of moving a vehicle when spokes provide the strength and support that enable the wheels to do so.

"A wire wheel consists of an inner hub and an outer rim connected by spokes. These spokes can become bent or broken, which will cause the wheel to be out of round, or warped, and possibly weakened. 'Rebuilding' the wheel means that the spokes are replaced if damaged or missing, and all spokes are equally tightened so that the wheel is round once again. This is called 'truing' and when finished, the wheels are said to be 'true'." (1)

Apply this analogy to how efficiently and effectively your organization operates.

An organization consists of people with diverse sets of skills, experiences, backgrounds, ideas, opinions, values, beliefs, and issues. Diversity is a collective mixture characterized by similarities and differences. It can refer to people, organizations, and systems. As a consequence, diversity can be defined as, or limited to, dimensions such as workforce diversity or functional diversity. Each person is a spoke in the wheel of the organization as a whole and, more directly and personally, a sub-group of the organization (department, chapter, area club, class, or other sub-group). If the majority of the people in the organization are "true" then the organization runs efficiently and effectively.  If not, then the organization experiences problems and its members become frustrated and disenfranchised.

Successful organizations have multiple opportunities for members to serve as spokes in the organizations´ wheels. Sub-groups within organizations offer leadership opportunities that support the organizational structures. Most have people - whether one person all the time or a rotating roster - who lead and take primary roles in the organization´s governance and operation. As your organization´s leadership, if you have trouble keeping all the spokes in the wheels true, here are ways in which to keep those wheels turning. Train or coach other leaders in the organization to do the same.

Create tasks and titles for both small and large roles and responsibilities so that each person feels they have a meaningful role to play. Clearly define roles and responsibilities, and write them down. Have committees for fun as well as for attending to the administrative, communication, and support functions that keep organizations running smoothly. Develop a phone/e-mail tree and have people serve as branches to the tree to maintain effective communications. Adopt mini-celebrations for achieving goals and accomplishments, and rotate responsibilities for leading the celebrations. Do you have a organization newsletter? Get people to contribute good news, clean humor, significant milestones in their lives, and articles of interest to the rest of the group.

Rotate responsibilities objectively by using something we use in Girl Scouts - a Kaper Chart - if your group has trouble getting members to take their turns with responsibilities they deem unpleasant.  Draw a grid of lines on a piece of paper like a chart. At the top of each column other than the first one (in the header row) list 5-to-10 tasks or responsibilities that need to be seen to at each group meeting, or each month, or each event (however you choose to select the time intervals). Along the left column (below the heading) list each group member´s name. Place one "X" (or create fun stickers) in a column for each person so that each group member has one task or responsibility to perform one time. For the next time period, place the "X"s one box to the right of the first "X" so that each group member has a different task from what they were assigned before. Continue doing this for every time period you need these tasks and responsibilities performed. Eventually the first task each person was assigned "way back" will come up again for that person and you start all over again. Using a Kaper Chart concept keeps the whining of  "I always have to..." and "You always make me..." out of the picture.

Create opportunities for people to stretch beyond their knowledge and skill sets to learn something new or do something they would not "normally" do. Sometimes these takes gentle coercion as people often underestimate their capabilities or hesitate to try something new for themselves. Communicate existing opportunities as, at times, you find opportunities for challenge already exist in the organization. People in one sub-group may not be aware of the opportunities. An example that comes to mind is my recent discovery that the chapter President of one of my organizations, who is a very competent and enthusiastic President, revealed she had never before served at the top of the food chain of any group until now. Our Immediate Past President drove to her house, engaged her in conversation on her back deck, and spent over an hour encouraging her to consider assuming the role as President when nominated. Finally, she accepted and excelled beyond her own expectations. She looks ahead to greater leadership roles beyond the chapter level in the organization.

Appreciate and recognize the little things people do as well as the big. A simple "thank you" is beyond simple when well-placed, sincere, earned, and well-timed. Inexpensive certificates and chotchkes, when accompanied by words of praise and appreciation, can be as meaningful to recipients as gold statues. Well...almost, anyway. If your budget allows for more significant types of recognition, avoid being frugal with that budget and use it for maximum recognition opportunities. When people feel appreciated and valued - and a surprising number of people seldom feel that way - they give more and do more because their hearts are engaged.

Encourage members within sub-groups to get involved and contribute beyond the group. Reach out to other groups within the organization and learn how the "mother ship" (the organization as an entity) runs. With a wider vision and broader view, members can better determine where they fit in as spokes in the wheel and contribute. Help members to see how and where they can grow, over time.

The two (or three on a trike) wheels of a motorcycle turn in the same direction to propel the vehicle in a single direction. Organizations, and people within them, follow a single overall direction - that of the organization´s mission statement - within the guiding principles of bylaws, policies and procedures, codes of ethics, and other such organizational foundations. In a motor vehicle, drive trains and engines power the wheels of the vehicle. Vision and mission statements power the wheels of the organization. People give the organization its strength just as spokes give strength to wheels.

Encourage and teach members to be true spokes in the wheels of your organization by getting - and staying - involved.

Spokes definition: (1) From "Wire Wheels Overview", an article by Arthur Kelly. The Vintage Triumph Register, PO Box 655, Howell, MI 48844. (http://www.vtr.org/maintain/wire-wheels-overview.html)

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